On the same day, Violet had gone to the Farrell family''s residence. Alice had fallen sick, and Ivy had also been called over.


    Violet stayed until evening and hadn''t left yet when news about Vi''s situation spread. Timothy''s wife Opal had been kept in the dark, and they wanted to keep it that way. s, this could only be kept secret for so long.


    The gossip about Vi''s actions was rampant. Not only had she been caught in an affair, but there were whispers that she had also been pregnant.


    Even though Thomas wasn''t her husband now, he was still greatly affected. After all, it had all taken ce at the Farrell family''s residence.


    Some people said he might not be capable in bed, which was why Vi had cheated. Otherwise, why would such a thing happen so soon after he went to the battlefield? Others said it was Vi who couldn''t stay faithful and deserved to be punished.


    Some even called Ss shameless, saying he hadpletely disregarded his family bonds. The Farrell family had taken him in out of kindness, yet he acted without any decency-almost as if he had no conscience at all. The gossip went back and forth, with everyone saying that Ss and Vi got what they deserved, while Thomas was the innocent one caught in the mess.


    Barrett, however, was hardly mentioned. Once the family name was tainted, nothing about them could surprise anyone anymore. No one even bothered to bring up the fact that Barrett had divorced Vi.


    That evening, Violet and Carissa returned to Hell Monarch Estate at the same time. After exchanging a few words about what happened that day, they exchanged nces and sighed in unison.


    Before, it was all just entertainment. But now, it had affected the people they cared about, and they couldn''t help but feel anxious too.


    That night, Cedric still came to practice his martial arts, and he worked harder than ever. He knew he wasn''t strong enough yet, and there were many things he couldn''t help with. Thus, he needed to be stronger quickly. He had spoken to Travis about this. When Travis came in to have coffeeter, he shared the conversation with Carissa and Violet.


    Carissa was aware that Zoey''s daughter was also diligent in her studies at the women''s academy. Zoey''s children might not be particrly outstanding, but they were both sensible, strong-willed, and patient.


    After the practice, Travis saw Cedric back to the estate. Just as they arrived, they spotted Vi''s carriage leaving Silverstone Estate. It wasn''t just her carriage-several others were following, likely to move her belongings. She was leaving that night.


    As Vi was about to board her carriage, she caught sight of Cedric. She paused, waiting for him to approach and greet her.


    To her surprise, Cedric walked straight into the estate, deliberately ignoring her.


    Vi froze, then called out sharply, "Cedric, how can you be so rude? You don''t even greet your aunt when you see her?"


    Cedric was still young andcked the restraint of an adult. His distaste was in in his gaze. He stopped, turned around, and spat with palpable contempt, "I really wish I didn''t have an aunt like you."


    Vi was greatly shocked when she heard that, and the blood instantly drained from her face. "What did you say? Who taught you to speak like that? Was it the people from Hell Monarch Estate?" "Hey, enough with your nonsense," Travis interjected quickly.


    Cedric''s delicate face paled slightly. "I don''t want to say anything harsh to you. Please just go quickly. If you leave, Mom will get better sooner."


    Vi let out a bitterugh, tears


    streaming down her face. "So even you havee to hate your aunt? Have you all forgotten how good ve been to you? You used to love sitting by my side, listening to me tell stories..."


    "Before... Before, you weren''t like this." Cedric didn''t want to say more. After nodding to Travis, he quickly ran inside.


    Vi stood in the night wind, the jewelry on her clothes faintly jingling. She used to love the sound of the gold and emerald clinking together, but tonight, it felt grating and almost unbearable.


    Poppy helped her into the carriage. As they settled in, Vi straightened her posture, determined not to let the people from Hell Monarch Estate see her as a joke. She watched as the man from Hell Monarch Estate turned away, riding off without sparing her a nce.


    "Poppy, do you think I was wrong to seek a divorce?" she murmured softly.


    It all started because she wanted a divorce. If she hadn''t entertained the thought of divorce, she never would have gone looking for Ss. To be honest, she didn''t even know why she sought him out in the first ce. Sometimes, people didn''t even know what they were really after.


    But at that moment, she just wanted to see Ss, so she went. She never thought about the consequences after all, Zoey would always cover for her, no matter what happened. Poppy gently wiped Vi''s tears away.


    "To be honest," she said, "I think the


    Warren family wasn''t so bad. With Madam Reba gone, you could take charge there. You wouldn''t


    have to follow all those rules on


    worry about serving your


    mother-inw. Even your younger


    sister-inw wouldn''t be able to bully you."